Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)
Director: George Miller
Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke, Alyla Browne
Primary genre: Post apocalyptic
Secondary genre: Action
READ ALSO: Ranking the Mad Max films from worst to best
It’s been almost ten years since George Miller blasted audiences with his belated “Mad Max: Fury Road” (2015). Featuring out of this world car stunts and chases, Miller’s camera captured on-screen vehicular mayhem to the likes we have never witnessed before under a thunderous score, hyper-saturated cinematography, static framing and clever world building. A standout (among other things) was Furiosa, an intriguing character in the critically acclaimed fourth entry, raising questions about her mechanical arm, quest for redemption and her relationship within the Immortan Joe’s possie. A decade afterwards, Miller thought that answering the above would be a great idea giving us a spin off/prequel hybrid in “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga”.
While its predecessor was a behemoth of gargantuan set pieces and simplistic storytelling, “Furiosa” spans years beginning with her lengthy abduction from the “green place” and following the events that led her to be the War Rig driver. However, this tale is not compelling (or enough) to support a film let alone a two an half hour one. Miller and co-screenwriter Niko Lathouris split the movie in five pompously named chapters (e.g., “The Pole of Inaccessibility” anyone?) and remove the subtle substance which made “Fury Road” so appealing. In the middle of all these crazy post apocalyptic and plot holed shenanigans our hero survives the ordeal in a baffling way and feels a supporting character within her own film.
“I am Furiosa!”
The dramatic depth of “Fury Road” through her “redemption” arc is invalidated since none of her actions go against her (or any) moral compass. Meanwhile her personal vendetta against chief villain Dementus - the anchor for her desert Odyssey - is watered down by mind boggling choices such as a skirmish with Immortan Joe that never plays out in full capacity. A tighter script would have provided hefty emotional stakes around this subject (e.g., Furiosa having to choose between two “father figures” as the lesser of two evils for the time being) but Miller is interested in presenting an anemic story with not enough dramatic tension as we know she will survive the whimper of a final confrontation utterly lacking a sentimental catharsis.
The characters are not that interesting either. Dementus - Chris Hemsworth’s much anticipated villainous turn - is like Thor (cape and all) in a R-rated film who is more of a man-child rather than a menacing warlord prowling the deserts of Australia. His distracting fake nose and high pitch accent render him a laughable antagonist who belongs in a different type of movie and no wonder he disappears half way through. Only Tom Burke manages to bring some humanity to a limited role offering minimal impact plot wise as a substitute of Mad Max.
Plagued by unbelievable traits (e.g., Furiosa’s (anorexic looking) mom rides horses and motorbikes in the scorching desert barefoot(!), goes through sandstorms and takes down an army of guys without a single spec of dust on her hair), makes it hard to take any of these stuff seriously. It’s like Miller reversed the dirty and ludicrous world presented before to favor standard fluff embracing simultaneously Australia’s DEI policies in every panel leading to unintentional laughs when several accents occupy the same spot.
Be that as it may, you would assume “Furiosa” will shut anyone up by displaying outstanding vehicular chase sequences, a standard set by Miller himself but leave your expectations at the door. Drowned in copious amounts of jarring CGI green screens and obvious digi doubles and vehicles that would feel right at home in the mediocrities of Marvel, the dangerous and practical days of “Fury Road” are a thing of the past. Remember how you gasped when you saw the War Rig attack thinking your eyes might be deceiving you when it came to these jaw dropping stunts? No such notion will be experienced here and this rather disappointing sentiment is extended to the rest of the film’s aspects; Junkie XL’s soundtrack is a copycat of his previously superior work in “Fury Road”; the violence is gratuitous and cartoonish; and the cinematography of Simon Duggan is a major stepdown from the award winning work of John Seale’s.
So despite all the above, where does “Furiosa” stand in the “Mad Max” (1979-2024) ranking? It is by far the weakest of the bunch yet can you call it a bad movie? No, but it is a messy one for sure due to the hyper surrounding this production. Bypassing such facts, Miller does find the time to make a few impressive landscape and stunt shots (when CGI is integrated effortlessly), his direction a bit more playful this time around, which might elicit minor “Fury Road” awe. Immortan Joe remains a delightful character to revisit and Anya Taylor-Joy has screen presence bringing enough vigor to almost match Charlize Theron’s portrayal even if she seems in dire need of a cheeseburger. The production design is excellent too boasting creative and inventive of all sorts of designs for both vehicles and locations while the costumes are more detailed than ever and fit thematically in this mad world.
You can’t help and feel disappointed though. All the problems present in his previous film (“3000 Years of Longing” (2022)) such as cheap CGI and over-zealous direction can be seen in this expensive and expansive production that sacrifices what made “Mad Max” unique in the first place. Perhaps time will be kind to “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” once the dust settles down.
A rather anemic prequel
+Some gorgeous shots
+Anya Taylor-Joy
+Production and costume design
+Some clashes are inspired
-Nowhere near the level of Fury Road
-Anya Taylor-Joy needs to eat a cheeseburger
-Background soundtrack
-Disappointing cinematography
-Too much bad CGI and green screens
-Gimmicky violence
-Cartoonish and distracting villain
-Plot holes
-Distracting DEI